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Last week's devastating rainfall across NSW has cost the Canberra Cup one of its star attractions with Team Hawkes opting to pull Lexus Stakes winner Niwot from the race.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The much loved seven-year-old stayer was nominated for the $200,000 Canberra Cup (2000m) earlier this week but won't be risked on a rain-affected Thoroughbred Park, despite the track expected to dry to a dead rating by Sunday.
He'll contest the Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday instead, in preparation for a tilt at the two-mile Sydney Cup next month.
Wayne Hawkes, head of the team's Flemington operation, had no interest in driving eight hours to strike a potentially wet track with Niwot.
“Canberra's a heavy 10 isn't it,” Hawkes said.
“You won't get as many good horses as you'd hope for because the track is so wet.
“We've had meetings and stuff called off [in Victoria] it's been a mess.”
Thoroughbred Park had dried to a Dead 7 by Wednesday afternoon having received just 3mm of rain since Sunday.
Chief executive Peter Stubbs was confident the sand profile track would continue to improve over the next few days.
"A realistic prediction is it would be in the dead range on Sunday," Stubbs said.
"The forecast is for scattered showers for the next two days and Saturday and Sunday should be fine."
Should the track dry out sufficiently, team Hawkes will still be chasing the Canberra Cup with well-travelled Zabeel gelding Rainbow Styling.
The seven-year-old has been at the Hawkes' Sydney stable all week in preparation for the race, but his immediate fate still hasn't been decided.
“We want to run him but I don't know,” Hawkes said.
“We took him to Sydney with the view of going to Canberra. Let's hope [it dries out], I'd still like to come.”
Should Rainbow Styling run on Sunday, it'll be the fourth state he's jumped in this campaign.
He resumed at Rosehill on New Year's Eve running sixth, before winning an open handicap at Caulfield.
Last start he ran eighth in the Hobart Cup.
“He's going bloody good too the bugger,” Hawkes said.
“He went good in the Hobart Cup and he never handled the track, he never got around the tight circumference and only got beat two and a half lengths I think.
Acceptances for the Cup will be taken tomorrow morning and last year's Caulfield Cup third placegetter, Gai Waterhouse stayer Tullamore, is expected to be confirmed as a starter.
Anthony Cummings Group One winner Zavite has also accepted.
Meanwhile, the recent rain looks to have curtailed what was originally going to be a busy weekend at Warwick Farm for Team Hawkes.
Gopana, who will run in the Wiggle Stakes (1400m), was the powerful stable's only acceptance in Sydney.
Happy Zero had been nominated for the Liverpool City Cup (1300m) but won't run while Stratford will be spelled.